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DECEMBER 2017 17 the success of other guys — especially the less-experienced players — is evident. "I love to see our young guys be able to get more opportunities and be successful when they're doing it," Hall said following the win over Austin Peay. "[Redshirt first- year guard] De'Andre [Hunter] came in and got a dunk, [rookie guard] Marco [Anthony] had a turn-around jump shot, [redshirt first- year forward] Jay [Huff] knocked down a three. "It's good to see those guys get their con- fidence going knowing that their minutes might not have been there the first game we played. It's good to see those guys do- ing that." Huff, a seven-footer for whom there is unbridled optimism among fans following his redshirt year last season, had a stellar de- but for the Wahoos in game two, the 93-49 win over Austin Peay Nov. 13. He came off the bench to hit his first three-point attempt and then dunked home a tip in on the next possession. He finished 7 of 8 from the field for 16 points and blocked five shots in 24 minutes of action. "I was ready to tackle him," Hall said of Huff with a wide smile. "They're tremendous at what they do," leading scorer Kyle Guy (16.0 average through seven games) said of Hall, Wilkins and Salt. "They built this program. They are tremendous leaders and people that us younger guys look up to. "They expect excellence and so does Coach Bennett. That's just something I look up to and I think all of the other guys do, too. It's been great." "I feel like we do a good job of leading by example," the 6-7 Wilkins said. "If I think about our stamp, if I think about me, Jack and Dev, it's our hustle. When we play, we play hard. I think that's what our stamp, our mark, on this program will be." "I didn't play much when I first got here and I just always looked up to them," Salt said of Wilkins and Hall. "Zay's hustle de- fensively and offensively, that's definitely something I've tried to do more. Devon, even in his early days when he wasn't play- ing much, he was always trying to do all the little things, the hustling and rebounding. "That's definitely something I've learned from and tried to do the best I could." It's not time yet to look back, but it's im- possible not to be mindful of both the honor and responsibility the trio has as Virginia's captains in 2017-18. "It goes by fast," Wilkins said with a smile. "It's crazy. I just keep trying to ap- preciate all of the moments I'm having, especially thinking about my first year and thinking about leaders like D.A. [former standout forward Darion Atkins], and I just want to be that person for this team." "It's been a roller-coaster ride from the start," Salt said with a similar smile. "From not playing at all to playing a little bit to now having a role, it's just really great to be a part of this program and I'm honored to be a part of it. "The guys before us, they built it. It's our job to keep their legacy. It's just something that I and all of the guys really are all trying to keep going." With so much youth on the roster and so many different personalities, being a team captain in this day and time can under- standably be a daunting task. It's something UVA's trio has not only embraced but also tried hard to appreciate. "I think we've had those kinds of conver- sations, all three of us together," Wilkins said. "We each bring a different element of leadership to this team, and we just try to do that and hold each other accountable and take this team as far as it can go." "They know there's some inexperience," Bennett added. "They know that there's uncertainty. They've really taken the leader- ship role seriously and I've tried to make a bigger deal out of them being the captains. They've embraced it and I like what I've seen." Though he's only a listed at 6-7, fourth-year forward Isaiah Wilkins paced the Cavaliers last season in rebounding (6.9 boards per game), blocked shots (43) and steals (33). PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA Redshirt third-year center Jack Salt has started 50 of his 63 appearances at UVA through the first seven games of the 2017-18 campaign. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA "Isaiah is a natural leader, Devon's a natural leader and so is Jack Salt. These guys have put a lot of time and energy into this program. They've been through so many experi- ences and you see them — as the culture that was estab- lished a long time ago — taking the young guys [aside] and explaining things, holding guys accountable." HEAD COACH TONY BENNETT